


The Dog Talk

by KaylenaKey



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Buttercup is adorable, Comfort/Angst, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mention of cancer, Owen is a good dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28718853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaylenaKey/pseuds/KaylenaKey
Summary: Carlos came by to visit the firestation at night but paused when he heard a heart-warming and -clenching conversation between T.K. and his father.This is  basically the scene between T.K. and Owen (and Buttercup) in S1E8 but in Carlos' POV if he would have been there.
Relationships: Buttercup & TK Strand, Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, TK Strand/Owen Strand
Comments: 1
Kudos: 131





	The Dog Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, it's me again :)
> 
> So I was re-watching Season 1 to help myself with the wait for Season 2, and this came up in my head and I felt the need to write it. I feel like it would have been cool if Carlos would have been there to hear that, I think it would have helped him a lot to understand the mystery that T.K. Strand is more. So yeah, it's basically just the scene from the show with Carlos in it.
> 
> I hope my english is not too bad.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> PS: Can we please talk about that new #Tarlos content we just got?? I really can't wait for Season 2!!

It was late at night when Carlos got off his shift. He checked his phone while getting into his car to see that T.K. had just texted him half an hour ago. The man was working all night and Carlos guessed he might not be asleep yet, so he quickly decided to drive by the firehouse to check on him. If he did sleep, he could just get back in his car and drive home to get some sleep himself.

When he entered the station, he noticed that barely any light was on. He was heading for the stairs when he heard movement upstairs. Carlos stopped in his tracks to find out who it was.

"You don't quit, do you?", he heard the person chuckle lowly, and immediately recognized the voice as the one of his (boy?)friend. Whatever they were right now.

From where Carlos was standing on the lower level of the building, T.K. could not see him, and Carlos decided to keep it that way for now, scared of interrupting a conversation.

"I told ya. You're his favorite", Owen's voice resonated through the room soon after.

Carlos could hear someone sighing and guessed that it came from the younger Strand. Who were they even talking about?

He was interrupted in his thoughts when Owen spoke up again: "Hey, you can fool everybody else, but you can't fool me. I know you love that dog."

Now Carlos understood. Judd and Paul had been sending him pictures of the "new member of the 126" all day. He figured T.K. would be excited about it, but thought about it. Maybe the man didn't like dogs.

"No I don't", came a quick answer from a grumbling T.K., but Carlos felt like the man was trying to convince himself on that more than his father.

"Yeah, you do. You've loved every dog you've met since you were two", Owen replied, and Carlos couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yeah, and you still brought him in here. This stupid, brown-eyed, slobbering thing..." Carlos almost laughed at that, having to think about his own eye color.  
"You knew I was going to fall in love with it, and you knew that it was sick, and that it's gonna die, and I won't be able to take that. I can't fall in love with one more thing that I know I'm gonna lose, dad. I can't do it." While the cop just almost laughed a few seconds ago, now he felt like crying. Hearing the hurt and tears in T.K.'s voice broke his heart.

He knew about Owen's cancer and Judd had already told him that Buttercup got the same kind. He could only imagine how hard that must hit T.K. .

"You can't make me fall in love with this stupid dog. I won't."

He could hear T.K. basically crying at this point and wanted nothing more than just bolt up there and take the boy into his arms. But he stayed where he was, leaning his back against the nearest wall while listening to Owen's answer to that vulnerable confession of his son.

"Yeah, I think this is about more than the dog."

"Of course it's more than about the damn dog!", T.K. raised his voice and, in front of his eyes, Carlos could practically see Owen flinch at that.

"You haven't lost me yet, son."

"Yeah, but I _could_!"

"Yes, you could. You could. To cancer. On a call. I could be hit by a truck."

Owen paused, and T.K. sniffled slightly.

"There's no guarantees, not for anybody. This dog isn't a symbol of my death. It's an affirmation of my life. It's okay to love him. Even though you might lose him."

Carlos had to smile at that. He loved how Owen handled the situation. The man knew exactly how to talk to his son.

"Here...", Owen continued, and Carlos could hear some shuffling. "Why don't you hook a brother up?"

"You know I'm never gonna forgive you for this, right?", T.K. said in a slightly lighter mood.

"That's fine."

Soon after, the chewing sound of the dog was heard as T.K. fed Buttercup a treat.

Carlos couldn't hear the stuff T.K. was mumbling into Buttercup's fur a second later, he could just hear him smacking kisses onto him.

With a wide smile, Carlos left the station, careful not to be seen, knowing this moment belonged to T.K. and his father.

The love TK had for his father warmed Carlos' heart. He could only hope that one day, the man would love him enough to show him the same.

  
And as he sat by T.K.'s hospital bed the day after, he thought about that conversation, and how ironic it was that T.K. was so worried about something happening to his dad while just one day later, _he_ was the one fighting for his life with a bullet wound in his shoulder.


End file.
